{"id":1429,"date":"2016-08-29T10:45:55","date_gmt":"2016-08-29T00:45:55","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/sdreformedbaptist.org.au\/?p=1429"},"modified":"2018-05-11T13:56:23","modified_gmt":"2018-05-11T03:56:23","slug":"thinking-about-hell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sdreformedbaptist.org.au\/?p=1429","title":{"rendered":"Thinking about hell"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Church Bulletin:<\/span><\/p>\n

Hell is not a subject we probably choose to think a great deal about. Sometimes however there are unpleasant matters which require our attention. It is in our best interest to be as informed as we can and to give careful consideration of them. \u00a0If someone was facing an exam it would be foolish for them to keep pushing it to the back of their mind and\u00a0fail to undertake adequate preparation. If a country was facing an epidemic of disease it would be foolish not to be informed about things like avoidance, symptoms, and response.\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n

I have observed in recent times that descriptions of hell are becoming quite vague. I suspect some preachers and authors feel embarrassed or uncomfortable talking about it \u2013 at least talking with any clarity. Hell is often described as little more than being eternally removed from the presence of God. But what does this mean to an atheist? They are going to be removed from the God they don\u2019t believe in, the God they have no interest in, the God they hate. Hell sounds like the kind of place they will enjoy. Hell certainly does mean the absence of God to bless, but not the absence of God altogether. God is present to punish. <\/span><\/p>\n

Hell is a place of judgement. Biblically hell is described in terms of fire, darkness, loneliness, wailing and eternity (Matt 5:27-3; Matt 25:30, Mark 9:46; Luke 16:24; 2 Thess 1:9; Rev 14:10.). There are numerous reasons why you should maintain a clear perspective of what hell involves and think about it regularly.\u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\n